Friday, October 9, 2015

Sorry for having taken so long to follow up to the juice cleanse I talked about in my last entry! As you can see I survived, and it did the trick. Today is October 9th and I have not had a drop of coffee since. I have been drinking hot tea, which I now have probaby a dozen different kinds, but overall I feel a lot better. In fact, I feel better all day long so it is easy to not go back. It is always easier to go the path of least resistance no? I have found that if I try something and I like it better, I stick with it. The same probably holds true for most of us. It comes down to taking the initiative to START. Thats always the hardest step, the first one out the door...however, it is like the story of the wild goose. No one tells him to go, he knows and just starts flying...

Details??? Ah, so the cleanse went like this...
Day one: Pick up groceries. A LOT of groceries. I think the apples alone was like 125.00. Yeah, waaaay too many apples. You do not need a case, although it is supposedly cheaper. That is a ton of apples. Buy a dozen and just get started. I bought what I figured was the total amount needed for the entire time because then I would be committed you know? It worked, but it was overkill and I was eating apples and juicing apples for like 2-3 weeks afterwards...
Day two: Hungry. But not starving. The juices are actually pretty good, by middle of day 2 the headache comes. Not severe, but there perhaps as a reminder that your body knows something is not quite the usual... a little hard to focus because I think your mind is wondering when you are going to eat, maybe a survival instinct? Who knows. Stay strong.

Day two midday: Had to leave work because my headache progressively got worse. At home it was pounding, I began to doubt the cleanse, but just laid down and hoped it would pass. It turned into a migraine, which must have been my body detoxifying because somewhere around 9 pm I got really nauseous and had the dry heaves (crazy!!!) which lasted about 2 hours... then finally sleep. Woke up feeling pretty good, very clear headed. And very ready to be done!
Let me just say that I am a firm believer in that the worse you feel during something like this, the worse you probably were to begin with health-wise. Whatever my body was kicking out, I am glad it did. I am sure I am better off for it!

Day 3: A little weak, but able to work all day. Came home and had a great dinner of greens and healthy food stuffs. Nothing too crazy, but savored it all. Said farewell to coffee for awhile, because it felt so good to just wake up and be alert, and not half out of it.

Afterthoughts- coffee is pretty acidic, and if you drink it like I was (cup in the morning, americano maybe mid-morning...maybe another after work, etc) thats tough on your system. My energy levels were always up and down, and I would feel bloated around mid day. I feel much more balanced now, healthier, happier and at ease. That was worth changing my habits. Each of us is different, we have to constantly refine ourselves as we go. That's what life is all about, paying attention and getting back on track when we wander off.
Take time for self reflection, study your habits, they are what you spend a lot of time thinking about and doing! Are they propelling you forward or holding you back? Be honest with yourself, life goes by too quickly to half ass it.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

After my run today with my brother, I decided that I really need to cut back on my coffee intake. I drink quite a bit of coffee, and I am sure I would feel better if I just quit for a bit and got off the stimulus it provides. Since I always go all in, why not make it a complete cleansing period?
I did some research online, and found a great blog post by Doug Hay who was also an ultrarunner.

You can check it out yourself at:http://www.justonjuice.com/3-day-juice-fast-plan/

Question 1 : How is this going to affect my current training?
Since Doug was also training for an ultra when he did his cleanse (which was also for three days, not two like mine) I felt his advice was great for me. Since he mentioned the worst symptoms came on at the 12 h mark, I started my cleanse today, at 5:30 pm. This will allow me to wake up and then drink another one right away, hopefully this will ease the hunger pains a little. I also am going to add chia seeds to my juice drinks, for the extra protein/energy. Things can get demanding at the architecture firm where I work and I want to stay on my game :)Question 2: How expensive is this going to be?
I got lucky here since I already own a pretty nice juicer, an Omega Juicer 8004. This machine is amazing, juices anything (handles wheatgrass very well due to it being a 'masticating' juicer, meaning that it doesn't use spinning blades but actually presses the juice out with an auger type bit.Rinse and done. Back to the cost, I was just looking at a grocery bill. Which mind you, would have been a lot less if I had noticed that it called for 24 apples and not a case. The case was expensive, at 40lbs. That being said, I am going to be juicing A LOT of apples over the next two days. There will also be a lot of leftover 'stuff' I am sure.
Bill: 165.00

Question 3: Whats going to happen to me?
Ha ha, this is where it gets a little exciting and a little scary. Since it is only for 48 hours ( of which 16 I will be sleeping, hopefully) the worst symptoms Doug mentioned are headaches, fatigue and hunger (go figure). I think the worst will be the hunger pains and the coffee withdrawal. Both of which should clear by the morning on Tuesday (it is currently Sunday evening, 7:12 pm. I began the cleanse at 5:30 pm today) so we will see. Since I eat pretty healthy already (green smoothies every morning, low meat intake, no junk food, no soda, no alcohol, etc.) I am not expecting this to get too painful. That is my hope...

Question 4: Whats going to happen afterwards?
When the 48 hours is up, I am going to gratefully sit down to some quinoa and salad with walnuts and roasted beets. After that, for the following 30 days I will abstain from coffee completely, and continue my morning green smoothies except I will be following a new rule of thumb of ABC (apple, beet, carrot) juice intake daily. Each day starts with lemon juice and warm water, to stimulate the digestive system (this also helps to clear the skin).

In closing, I am excited to do this. I feel like it is time to make some good moves with my food intake and to help take my training to the next level. What better gift to give oneself then amazing health? The human body is meant to feel amazing, everyday. To do amazing things, everyday. Anything less and it could be said that you are merely cheating yourself out of a life filled with a healthier, happier you.
I will be posting more on this experience as it unfolds for those who may be interested in trying it themselves someday.

Saturday, June 13, 2015

I have decided that the 'official' training for Superior 50 mile slated for September of this year has begun. While I have not been doing ANY (gasp) racing this year at all (thanks to grad school) I have been 'thinking' a lot about it and more specifically my approach, which will be three fold as described on my training page which can also be found on this blog. On that page I talk a little about how I handled the training for this race last year, which paid off very well. With a few tweeks I am certain of another fantastic race, and am actually even gunning for a PR :) guess time will tell!
I started grad school this summer (always the 'go-getter!') in order to have less classes in the fall which enables me to work more. My time spent working at Stephen Perry Smith Architects has been just fantastic. I absolutely love the firm and the team we have there and am honored to have a mentor such as Stephen Smith as not only an employer but also as a great friend. It is always amazing to me how when you are going in the right direction, things really do seem to fall together. HINT: If you are experiencing endless drama and troubles in your life, something is WRONG. Life should not be that hard or miserable, and if you are experiencing both then it is time to take serious inventory and perhaps some hard life choices.
I had to do this, and most successful/happy/healthy people have as well. Every single truly interesting person I have ever met has overcome some hard obstacle in their life, and it has been that obstacle that has made them who they are today!

Grad school has been comprised of learning structural analysis so far, not necessarily the most interesting thing in the world but certainly very useful in helping to design truss systems and deal with design issues on a particular site or custom design desire. I will never look at an arch again the same. Good stuff for us young aspiring architects... I love learning about architecture and then running long in the woods on a Saturday afternoon and just thinking about how these things all come together... the balance of the gravity loads on the truss, and the balance of the ecosystems in the woods. Wonderful thoughts on longer runs... these things keep me going, keep life interesting. The real trick for me is learning to balance what you need to know, with what you don't. What you need to have, with what you don't. Keep it minimal, leave room for growth. The game of life is ongoing and wonderful, and there are miles and miles to go...

Monday, May 25, 2015

There is a certain excitement that accompanies a big move. An air of possibility surrounds it, anticipation builds during the days leading up to it, we become anxious and even a little nervous. The move I am referring to here is moving ones residence, which entails all that you own. This is an interesting experience and seems to change as we get older.
When we are younger, we take everything. Everything we believe we need since we are all about acquiring stuff. Then when we move during our twenties we are amazed at how much crap we have we don't even use, or need, while the whole time we are packing we are experiencing nostalgia and remembering good times (and bad) associated with certain items. We keep a lot of 'what-if' stuff and lug it all to our new place. Now I am in my late thirties, and find that I really am about minimizing my 'stuff'. Part of that is that I want to simplify, and part of that is the wisdom of knowing that quality over quantity is more important than how much stuff I have. These seem like great years, like all the mistakes I have made to get here are starting to pay off.
For instance, I am much more sure of where I want to go with my life. I have made a few career changes, and found that the practice of architecture was something that I was very passionate about. The spirit of 'place-making' truly pulled at my heart strings, and I am extremely fortunate to have remained open enough to change, for this allowed me to take chances and to make the jump to go back to school after building houses for nearly 17 years. That single decision, that single move changed everything. It changed the path my life was on, it changed my place of residence, it opened doors to new opportunities, introduced me to new people that would become mentors and peers, in essence it was the biggest move of my life. And it was so worth it.
Everyone should take the time for moving. Movement is life, it keeps us from becoming stagnant. It forces us to take inventory, of ourselves, our 'stuff', our lives. It strips away the familiar and shows us whats possible. It keeps us young, and keeps life exciting. It is natural, in the way that birds and animals (and people used to) migrate to the pattern of the seasons.
So circling back to the beginning, as I am filling bags to take to Goodwill, in order to lighten my own move, I am reflecting on all the things a move can do. The power in that, in the unknown. It is exciting, and I encourage everyone to do it more often. Refresh your life.

2015 Superior 50 mile training

6/13/15: 9 miles at Lapham Peak. Again after a rain, felt better, stronger. Good burst at the end. 1:34

7/18/2015: 4.5 miles on HWY 32 by Lake Michigan7/19/2015: Black loop @ LP. First run with my brother! Felt pretty good, although I can tell I am not acclimated to the heat at all right now lol. He did fantastic! So happy

2014 Races Completed

Chippewa Moraine 50k - April

Northern Kettle 50k-March

Superior 50 mile - September

2013 Races Completed

Architecture school has taken over my life...I am striving to find balance between the demands of school and the rigors of training for ultras...for now I have been only running when I can and have not committed to any races for 2013.****UPDATE: Chippewa 50k in April is a GO! Excited to be training again in the Southern Kettle Moraine. Life is good :)